Clemson recruit Kane Patterson presented with All-American Bowl jersey

Kane Patterson closed out his Christ Presbyterian Academy football career on the highest of notes Friday at Tennessee Tech’s Tucker Stadium. 

On Monday, the four-star Clemson commitment received one of the nation’s highest high school football honors when he was presented with an honorary jersey for the upcoming 2019 All-American Bowl.

“It’s hard to not get emotional just talking about being selected to be a part of this game,” Patterson said. “It has been a dream of mine since I was a little kid and something I always wanted to be a part of. I know it’ll be something I’ll cherish for the rest of my life.”

Not only did Patterson help lead CPA to its first state title in four seasons, but the prized 6-foot-1, 225-pound prospect also did so with perhaps the strongest performances of his career, recording a combined 14 tackles while rushing for 198 yards and three touchdowns in Division II-AA semifinal and championship wins over Lausanne and BGA.

“He’s a kid that has been blessed with a ton of talent, and the thing that makes him special is what he did with that talent,” CPA coach Ingle Martin said. “He got the most out of it in his four years here, and I really believe that these last two games were his best two.”

He's come a long way since a year ago, when a torn ACL suffered in the quarterfinals ended his junior season. 

“I feel like everyone at some point in their life is going to be faced with some type of hardship, and that was probably the hardest thing I’ve experienced in my life,” Patterson said. “I really had two decisions: I could sit down and pout about it or I could go attack it. I chose to attack it every day, over and over again, the same thing.

“I just kept grinding so I could get to experience the moments we experienced Friday.”

That sort of mentality is what has made Patterson the player he is, Martin said, and Martin doesn’t expect it will stop anytime soon. And that bodes well for coach Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers football program.

“The work that he put in is unique, and that’s what sets him apart,” Martin said. “He’s got a great family behind him, and his work has only just begun if he wants to be as good as he can be. I think Coach Swinney, (Clemson defensive coordinator Brent) Venables and their staff is getting a kid that understands that there’s a lot more work to be done.

“He’s got his best football ahead of him at Clemson, and he’s really excited about starting the next chapter.”

The 2019 All-American Bowl is set for 1 p.m. Jan. 5 in San Antonio, Texas.  

Reach Michael Murphy at mfmurphy@tennessean.com, 615-259-8026 and on Twitter @Murph_TNsports.